1. Christopher Columbus

2. Quick facts
NAME: Christopher Columbus
OCCUPATION: explorer
BIRTH DATE: 31 October, 1451
DEATH DATE: 20 May, 1506
PLACE OF BIRTH: Genoa, Italy
PLACE OF DEATH: Valladolid, Spain
Columbus was an Italian explorer. He was born on 31st October, 1451 in Genoa, Italy. He was famous for sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492.

3. Life
As a young man, he sailed on trading ships across the European seas. In 1476, he settled in Lisbon, Portugal and married Felipa Perestrello. The couple had one son, Diego in His wife died soon after and Columbus moved to Spain. He had a second son Fernando with Beatriz Enriquez de Arana. He was born in 1488.

4. Work
In those days, Portuguese traders were trying to find a way to Asia by sailing all the way around Africa. Columbus thought there was an easier way—by sailing westward. He was denied the money to find a quicker route to Asia by the Portugeese king so he went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. They agreed to give him the money.

5. First expedition
On August 3, 1492, three ships—the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria—set sail from Spain. Columbus was captain of the Santa Maria.

6. After 36 days of sailing, Columbus and several crewmen set foot on an island in the present day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain. Columbus and his men discovered the "New World" of the Americas.

7. Further expeditions
Columbus and his men later continued their journeys, explored more islands in the Caribbean Ocean, the Orinoco River in present-day Venezuela and the eastern coast of Central America, all in search of finding a faster way to Asia.

8. Legacy
His expeditions caused the wide-spread transfer of people, plants (potatoes, tomatoes, corn, coffee), animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected nearly every society on the planet.
He died on 20th May in 1506 believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.

9. My opinion
I decided to talk about Christopher Columbus because I am interested in history and famous explorers who travelled the world to learn about places, people and their life. In my opinion, he was a brave man who did a lot of good for the world but his findings also changed the native cultures and the world in general forever.